Associates For Biblical Research - DevotionalsCurrent Eventshttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/
http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specificationBlogEngine.NET 1.6.1.6en-UShttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/opml.axdAssociates for Biblical ResearchAssociates For Biblical Research0.0000000.000000The Shiloh Excavations: Week Five, Season One<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Early Monday we departed for the harbor town Caesarea Maritima, which was developed by Herod the Great. We sat in the box seat of Herod Agrippa in the theater and read of his death in Acts 12. We proceeded to the Hippodrome where we enlisted the youngsters in our group to run a race with all the pomp and circumstance of Ben Hur. The winner received a coveted Magnum ice cream bar! We briefly saw a portion of the aqueduct that brought fresh water to the metropolis from Mt. Carmel, nearly 10 miles away, and dipped our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. We then drove inland to Meggido, where we learned the meaning of gates in antiquity - JEWS. J - justice, E - economics, W - worship, S - security. We also hiked our first of many water systems. We finished the day off at Nazareth Village, a recreated first-century village and farm. There we learned about every day life &amp; activities in the times of Jesus. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Tuesday found us in the Galilee at Hazor, the largest tel in Israel at 200 acres. We saw the six chambered Solomonic gate that is nearly identical in size and design to the gates at Megiddo and Gezer from 1 Kings 9:15. We also had the special treat of meeting famed archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor and getting a tour from his assistant director Shlomit Bechar. While we were there, we hiked yet another water system, and saw the remains of the mudbrick Canaanite palace. We then traveled into the shadow of Mt. Hermon to Tel Dan. There, the largest source of the Jordan River, the Dan Spring, emerges in a thick oasis of greenery. We saw a Middle Bronze mudbrick gate, and the platform for Jeroboam&rsquo;s high place of 1 Kings 12:30-31. We also took in a bit of modern history at the trenches overlooking Lebanon that were used to guard Israel until the Six Day War. </span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1494883393867168.1073741837.115277278494460&amp;type=1&amp;l=13813b5c85" target="_blank"><img style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2017%2f7%2fMonday+WEB.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1494883393867168.1073741837.115277278494460&amp;type=1&amp;l=13813b5c85" target="_blank"><strong>View Suzanne's Tour Photo Album on the ABR FaceBook Page</strong></a><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Wednesday was a series of quick visits to important sites around the Sea of Galilee. Our first stop was Capernaum. This was Jesus&rsquo; adopted hometown, and also the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew. There we saw Peter&rsquo;s house, and the 4th century synagogue that was built over the foundation of one built in the 1st century. It was there that Jesus preached John 6:35-59 and declared he was the Bread of Life. We traveled around the lake to see the 1st century Galilee Boat which our dig conservator, Orna Cohen, played a huge part in preserving. Then we took to the waters and took sail upon the Sea of Galilee. Scott had promised us a party boat, and he did not disappoint! We watched as the crew cast for fish, we danced to Hava Nagila, and took time to reflect on all that had happened on this lake. We continued on to Magdala, the traditional hometown of Mary Magdalene and home to one of only seven known synagogues in the world remaining from the 1st century. Here they found a stone that may be the earliest known artistic depiction of the Second Temple. On the way home we stopped at the massive tel of Beth Shean. It was occupied from the Chalcolithic period until Byzantine period when it was destroyed by an earthquake on January 18, 749 AD. In front of the looming tel, the Romans built Scythopolis, the capital city of the Decapolis, a city with all the trademark Roman urban planning - a theatre, hippodrome, cardo, public toilets, and bath houses. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Thursday we moved into the Jordan Valley. Our first stop was New Testament Jericho. Unlike other sites, the Hasmonean rulers and Herod the Great did not build on top of the tel, but a few kilometers west on the banks of the Wadi Qelt, the main route from Jericho to Jerusalem. It was there Herod built his winter palace and also died. We then traveled those few kilometers to Old Testament Jericho, known as Tall es-Sultan and saw the mudbrick tumble of the 2nd wall of Jericho which Joshua used as a ramp. A few in our group hiked around the tel, but only made it once around. We wouldn&rsquo;t have been very good Israelites! We made a short drive to the northern edge of the Dead Sea where we split up. Half the group went to Qumran to experience the community life of the Essenes, while the other half experienced the modern Israeli resort life by floating in the Dead Sea. We closed the day out by traveling to the traditional baptismal site of Jesus. Among the throngs of tourists there, we had the privilege of witnessing the baptism of five people in our group. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> Friday found us in the Dead Sea region again. We made changes to our schedule due to Ramadan prayers in Jerusalem, but it turned out to be for our benefit. It was only 93 that day, instead of the 105 forecasted for Sunday when we were supposed to go! We made an early arrival at Masada, but not early enough to be able to hike the snake path to the top. Up the cable car we went to look at the storehouses used to supply this fortress, and the hanging palace of Herod the Great off the northern end of the mountain. We then learned of its fall at the hand of those who had built it, and the desperation of those who had revolted and were trapped inside. We then drove up the road to Ein Gedi, one of only two freshwater springs located on the western shore of the Dead Sea. It was there that David hid from Saul and cut off a corner of his robe without Saul&rsquo;s knowing in 1 Samuel 24. We hiked up the wadi to the lower waterfall. Here the group split up. Some stayed to relax, while others decided to channel their inner ibex and scale to the top of the high wadi edge to take in a breathtaking panorama of the Dead Sea and view a temple from the Chalcolithic Period. It was quite an adventure, and we rewarded ourselves by taking a refreshing plunge into the spring on our return. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> Saturday took us just south of Jerusalem to Herodium, yet another of Herod&rsquo;s fortress palaces. There he took a small hill and built a circular compound on top, then add dirt to the side to make it seem twice as tall as it actually was. He chose this site to be buried, building a huge mausoleum on the side of the hill that was visible from Jerusalem. At the bottom of the hill he built what was nothing short of a country club for his friends and family. It included a huge pool with an island in the middle that you could sail to. The opulence of this site was stunning. We then drove over to Bethlehem to witness the opposite of Herod&rsquo;s splendor, to see where the King of Kings was born in a simple manager. Granted, over the years, things have built up around these traditional holy sites. The Church of the Nativity is in the middle of a massive restoration and the entire church was a series of scaffolding and tarps protecting the wooden columns. We waited in line to enter the grotto under chancel where we saw the birth place, along with about 30 other people squeezed into a tiny room. Quiet reflection is hard to come by in these places! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Sunday was my last day on the tour. We stayed in Jerusalem and went to the City of David just south of the Temple Mount. This was the original site of Jerusalem and the city that David made his capitol. We saw part of the palace that David built for himself, as well as typical four room Israelite house from the Iron Age. We then walked down the hill and waded through Hezekiah&rsquo;s tunnel, which protected the Gihon spring source and brought it inside the walls of the city, described in 2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:30. In the afternoon, we went to the Israel Museum which turned out to be a great way to finish my portion of the tour. We were able to see the vessels that were found at Shiloh, the lions that stood guarding the Canaanite temple at Hazor, and the pink sarcophagus that Herod was buried in, among other things. Our ability to say, &ldquo;Been there! Seen that!&rdquo; as a tourist was officially accomplished!</span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2017/07/08/The-Shiloh-Excavations-Week-Five-Season-One.aspx
Suzanne Lattimerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2017/07/08/The-Shiloh-Excavations-Week-Five-Season-One.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=f29510fb-b815-43d5-9afd-cc2bebd736edSat, 08 Jul 2017 16:29:00 -0500DevotionalsJudges-United MonarchySuzanne Lattimerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=f29510fb-b815-43d5-9afd-cc2bebd736ed0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=f29510fb-b815-43d5-9afd-cc2bebd736edhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2017/07/08/The-Shiloh-Excavations-Week-Five-Season-One.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=f29510fb-b815-43d5-9afd-cc2bebd736edLoving God With All Your Mind?<p><span style="font-size: small;">Mark 12:30: &ldquo;And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.&rdquo;<br /><br />I have been in pastoral and ministry leadership for 35 years now. Along my journey as a follower of Christ, and as a mentor and coach for other believers, I have regularly perceived a tension among members of the Body of Christ in grasping the <strong>dimensions of love</strong> signified in Jesus&rsquo; statement in Mark 12:30 (above). As simple as this issue may sound, <em>it is no small matter</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">I have experienced the tension, or at least the misunderstanding, that exists between those who perceive love for God as a &ldquo;heart&rdquo; issue, and those whose love for God appears to be cognitive, intellectual, and contemplative; between those who believe that emotionally-driven worship and passion are closer to what God wants than those who worship God &ldquo;with their mind,&rdquo; with hands unraised, seated, and reflective: they do not typically &ldquo;dance, as David danced&rdquo;!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">In my own spiritual development, I was fortunate to have been nurtured with both dimensions at work in my worship, discipleship and ministry: careful reasoning and the joy of adventures in complexity, coupled with passionate worship with the Spirit&rsquo;s powerful anointing. God used youth leaders, pastors, professors, and teachers from diverse theological backgrounds in laying a healthy doctrinal foundation and structure for my spiritual formation. It has been a dynamic process over the course of years!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Now, I do not believe that worship from the heart is somehow better than worship from the head, or from the soul. These terms reflect the whole of the inner nature of man that is touched and moved upon by the ministry of the Spirit, engaging the intellect, emotions and will of each individual believer. Indeed, we are to love God with heart, mind, soul, and strength: a picture of the totality of our being! Human beings are psychologically complex creatures, made in the image of God. <em>Each individual is unique</em>, with particular traits, inclinations and styles. Of course, all of these differences are what make us special. We are special not only because of what we have, but because of what we don&rsquo;t have: &ldquo;Then the Lord said to him, &lsquo;Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?&rsquo;&rdquo; (Exodus 4:11). Add to these traits the spiritual gifts that God&rsquo;s Spirit sovereignly endows upon each believer, and we have a tapestry of human souls woven together to form the Body of Christ and called to accomplish His purposes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Having said this, it is clear that there are some believers who do not share my moderating perspective in accepting the unique way individual believers approach, experience, and nurture their walk with God, their ministry, and their worship experiences, individually and corporately. For some reason, there can be a resistance to encouraging a strong intellectual pursuit of God. It&rsquo;s as if by doing so, one is taking a &ldquo;worldly&rdquo; approach that is inferior to those who believe that more emotive and demonstrative expressions of worship and ministry are the key to a healthy spiritual life. Those who feel this way are not opposed to using one&rsquo;s mind, but are resistant to those who take strong stands on doctrine and the complexities of the defense of doctrine and a carefully reasoned faith. My observation is that they believe that such individuals just like to argue! And so such intellectual pursuits are deemed a sign of immaturity, and that if one were following the gentleness of Christ we would not need to value seeking to convince others. We should be feeding the poor, not winning arguments on doctrine!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Such perspectives clearly fall short of a healthy understanding of how God uses the multifaceted, multi-gifted nature of the Body of Christ. It fails to understand that loving God with the mind will embrace the rigors of contending for sound doctrine. Indeed, the problem is not that we take a firm and vocal stand on important doctrinal and theological truth, but that we act childish and immature in the way we respond and react to those with whom we disagree. I repeat: <em>taking a stand isn&rsquo;t the problem, it&rsquo;s how we behave while doing so</em>. Manipulation, coercion, lies, deceit, anger, threats, intimidation, gossip and back-stabbing are all qualities I&rsquo;ve observed in my years of ministry. In my experience, these qualities have been, very sadly, observed equally so in the lives of leaders (or individuals with perceived power and wealth) as with the laity. I&rsquo;ve observed this among church elders and deacons, college professors, boards and committees, and scholars. Fortunately, I&rsquo;ve observed far more good and responsible behavior than this sort of immaturity; but nonetheless, this immaturity has usually been present and has always needed to be confronted. I&rsquo;ve had to call people out for such behavior, and even in my work among Christian scholars I&rsquo;ve had to confront those who have engaged in childish fights and power-struggles, arguments devoid of dignity and maturity. <em>Loving God with our minds must begin with me, and the maturity I bring to every meeting, every conversation, and every teaching opportunity</em>. We need to kindly but firmly engage others with biblical truth and always seek to correct error. This must be done in a way that glorifies God, encourages believers, and shows genuine love for others. We must learn to accept being wronged. We must learn to consider the needs and desires of others above our own needs! But we must never, ever, ever exchange the truth of God for a lie.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">By extension, it&rsquo;s time that we stopped telling our younger disciples that it isn&rsquo;t mature or spiritual to take strong stands on doctrine! We need instead to inculcate the demeanor and maturity Paul expected Timothy to demonstrate while actively discussing, reasoning, and challenging those under his spiritual care and responsibility:</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;<strong>Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him</strong> as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.&rdquo; (1 Timothy 5:1)</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable <strong>for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,</strong> that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.&rdquo; (2 Timothy 3:16-17)</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, <strong>and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.</strong>&rdquo; (Titus 2:6-8)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">No, loving God means we will contend for the faith and have a kind, loving, gentle, but rigorous and sober approach to those with whom we disagree. Love God &ldquo;with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with <em>all the strength</em>&rdquo; (Mark 12:33). We would do well to follow Jesus&rsquo; example when He instructed the Sadducees, &ldquo;And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?&rdquo; And, &ldquo;He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err&rdquo; (Mark 12:24, 27). Our God is a God of power and truth, and we are in peril when we exalt our weak social sensibilities and empty reasoning in exchange for the truth of God!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">In my role as Director of ABR I&rsquo;ve been prayed over by pastors asking God to work in me so that I would not get too lost in the intellectual pursuits of my work, and that I would not lose the real meaning of ministry. The &ldquo;real meaning&rdquo; of ministry??? I know the intentions are sincere, and so I refuse the fleshly inclination to be angry at such sentiments...sentiments expressed in my presence in prayer to my Father in heaven, no less! Hmm.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Such attitudes and comments reflect an all-too-common belief that those who pursue apologetics and deep intellectual and philosophical reasoning are going beyond God&rsquo;s intention for the believer and God&rsquo;s ministers. Part of this perception is rooted in a distorted understanding of Paul&rsquo;s (the Spirit&rsquo;s) rationale to the Corinthians in Paul&rsquo;s first epistle (1 Cor 1:18-31.) Some reason that to be too intellectual is to be like those that Paul is condemning in this text; sadly, this reflects an improper understanding of the actual context and meaning of this important passage. They fail to realize that when God declares, &ldquo;I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart,&rdquo; He often does this through the preaching of the Gospel and the careful teaching of His word by His servants. Paul articulates this in his second epistle to the Corinthians: &ldquo;For though we walk in the flesh, <strong>we do not war according to the flesh,</strong> for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. <em>We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.</em>&rdquo; Jude explains his purpose in writing his brief letter, urging his audience to &ldquo;contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Arguments and reasoning against the faith come out of the cultural philosophical stew of every generation and worm their way into the Church. We are CALLED to do the hard work of spiritual battle against such sophistry and lies for the sake of the Church, Christ&rsquo;s body, but also in our evangelistic efforts as well. Paul gently but clearly did this on Mars Hill in Acts 17, and in the cities he visited on his missionary journeys. When we love God aright, we understand the necessity of being ready to explain to unbelievers about our hope in Christ and their need to flee the idolatry of false philosophy. In love, we will challenge ALL believers to follow sound teaching.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Some, unfortunately, have a bifurcated view of ministry: if we are feeding the poor, THAT is ministry, but If we are reasoning with humanists, THAT is a waste of time; we are told that we cannot reason anyone into belief anyway, so we need to get back to doing real ministry<span style="line-height: 107%;">&mdash;</span>which is typically church activities, singing some popular worship choruses, or plugging in to more social ministry. I must confess my utter annoyance at such a narrow understanding of ministry, worship, and our purpose as believers. Coupled with that is their insistence that teaching the Bible is to be kept at a simple level. Since God&rsquo;s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are above ours, we should not presume that we can understand deeper doctrine...so they reason. Besides, the &ldquo;seekers&rdquo; won&rsquo;t understand or might get offended. Such thinking is laziness, and has helped create a generation of weak, uninformed believers. Hebrews 5, however, properly critiques believers in their obsession with spiritual milk when what they really need is to desire deeper teaching. Not only that, but <em>they themselves</em> are supposed to be TEACHING these deeper truths by now! Maturity is what we are called to in speech and conduct, and in our understanding and application of biblical truth. This is loving God with our mind!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">At the foundation of this matter was a mindset that developed during the Modernist controversy of the early 20th century. The Enlightenment and the Humanism it birthed brought the tsunami of Darwinian thought crashing down upon the American church. In desperation and fear, many Christians and Christian institutions retreated into a fortress mindset that exalted the Bible as &ldquo;all that we need.&rdquo; None of us would question this fundamental conviction they placed in the authority and supremacy of Scripture. The catastrophe, however, was in the disengagement of the Church with the culture at large, and the effort to isolate those in the community of Christ from ideas and philosophy springing forth from Darwinism and its tentacles that reached out across the educational landscape of America. Sadly, some continue to believe that confronting such lies and falsehood is a waste of time. We respect all those who properly understand the primacy of Scripture as the foundation of truth. God&rsquo;s revealed word is to be trusted as the final authority in all things. The continuing error that I observe is a resistance to take the threat of false philosophy seriously with our children. We are concerned about what is happening to them in our culture, but we may not have made the important and necessary changes in providing rigorous answers to their questions. Loving God with all our mind will include the careful instruction of our children that includes the dismantling of both the silly and unscientific claims of Darwinism, as well as the complex and often confusing rationale used by those who believe that biological existence has been nothing more than the primordial &ldquo;goo-to-you.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Let me conclude by encouraging all of us toward a robust understanding of what it means to love God. I have no doubt that Jesus used words like &ldquo;heart,&rdquo; &ldquo;soul,&rdquo; &ldquo;mind,&rdquo; and &ldquo;strength&rdquo; to make an obvious point: <em>every moment of every day is to be spent using every vestige of our being in an all-out pursuit of God</em>. Believers must bring their thoughts, their motives, their emotions under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In areas of the Spirit&rsquo;s gifting, unique expressions of this love for God will be seen in operation: the Body of Christ will feed the hungry, preach on the street corner, discuss and debate with atheists in chat rooms and class rooms, clothe the poor, study and teach all that Christ taught, pray all the time, clean the toilets at church, pursue the lost, sing songs of praise, serve anywhere that is needed, write articles, write songs, write letters, use art, use photography, use crafts, read books, and do lots of hard stuff&hellip;.<em>all for the love of God</em>. Let us stop summing up all meaningful ministry and love for God under the banner of social ministry, entertainment, and music. Let us embrace what God is doing in reaching out to the thinkers of our age, to those who ponder and wonder, and to those whose minds are trapped in unbelief.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">God calls and equips His Church for a multitude tasks, all under His sovereign guidance. May we never again look down upon those whose hands are at the plow doing the hard work of confronting the ideas of this age. Indeed, may the Lord raise up workers for the harvest in every place of higher learning and in every place where the reasoning of men is raised up against the knowledge of the truth. May a watching world see how much we love God as we love Him passionately with all of our mind.<br /></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2016/09/28/Loving-God-With-All-Your-Mind.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2016/09/28/Loving-God-With-All-Your-Mind.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=553c8bc9-bf70-4f51-95e9-fed39b1f4c10Wed, 28 Sep 2016 13:47:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=553c8bc9-bf70-4f51-95e9-fed39b1f4c100https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=553c8bc9-bf70-4f51-95e9-fed39b1f4c10https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2016/09/28/Loving-God-With-All-Your-Mind.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=553c8bc9-bf70-4f51-95e9-fed39b1f4c10The Serpent<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px; margin-bottom:6px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fMacalister-1916-4.jpg" alt="Macalister" height="297" /> <img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px; margin-bottom:6px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fTel+Gezer+-+Canaanite+high+place.jpg" alt="Canaanite high place" width="275" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;R.A. Stewart Macalister</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>Line of standing stones</strong> at Tel Gezer.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Macalister&rsquo;s team also found many idols scattered across the area. One of them is of particular interest when considering the biblical story of the origin of sin in Genesis 3. In his excavation report Macalister wrote: "In an enclosure close to the standing stones was found a bronze model of a cobra."</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fMcCalister-serpent-drawing.jpg" alt="McCalister serpent drawing" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Macalister&rsquo;s drawing</strong> of the bronze cobra.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Serpents were one of the most common motifs used by the ancients in their worship, and it is no wonder, since the serpent represents the deceptive being that caused man&rsquo;s fall into sin and death.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fmuseum-display-bronze-serpent-idols-4.jpg" alt="bronze serpent idols" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Examples of other bronze serpent idols</strong> on display at the Israel Museum.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />While Genesis 3 informs us of the origin of the problem of sin and death, it also gives us the first prophecy of God&rsquo;s solution.<br /><br />"So the LORD God said to the serpent, &lsquo;Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.'" (Genesis 3:14-15)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fviper+4.jpg" alt="Viper" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>The viper.</strong></div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />This morning my son Barry and I went to Tel Gezer to shoot the high place specifically with Genesis 3 in mind. Ironically, we ended up tangling with a serpent, not bronze &mdash; but real! It was a viper. By the grace of God I saw it literally as I was about to step on it! Instead I took this picture of the viper&hellip;which then struck at me. Had I not seen this snake, I probably would have stepped on it and it could have easily struck me in the heel, or worse yet, it could have struck my son. Such a strike could have been lethal!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f7%2fserpent-strike.jpg" alt="serpent strike" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Angry viper striking!</strong></div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />My point is that the ancients would have rightly considered the symbolism of a serpent striking a man&rsquo;s heel as a death blow. Now I have a real-life object lesson of Genesis 3:15 as it tells that an offspring of Eve (a man) would come in the future and crush the serpents head, but that beforehand the serpent would strike its own death blow upon the man by striking him in the heel. What a perfect picture God paints for us. Through deception, the serpent poisoned the mind and heart of Eve to sin, and in this way, sin and death came to all men. But, through the death blow that "the Serpent" delivered to Jesus on the cross came the "anti-venom," the remedy of Christ&rsquo;s blood giving life to the sinner. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you, Lord Jesus! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>For more about the ministry of Joel Kramer and his family, visit <a href="http://www.sourceflix.com" target="_blsnk">Sourceflix.</a></strong></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/07/08/The-Serpent.aspx
Joel Kramerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/07/08/The-Serpent.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=3191fb25-d761-47ea-83a6-00bbb37ecfd1Wed, 08 Jul 2015 14:21:00 -0500DevotionalsJoel Kramerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=3191fb25-d761-47ea-83a6-00bbb37ecfd10https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=3191fb25-d761-47ea-83a6-00bbb37ecfd1https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/07/08/The-Serpent.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=3191fb25-d761-47ea-83a6-00bbb37ecfd1From Wheat to Bread…But Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone!<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Wheat: In the Field and at the House</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Both wheat and barley were plentiful, listed among the seven major foods of the Holy Land (Dt 8:8; note also the oil and wine). But wheat was considered superior to the coarser barley&mdash;at least for human consumption. Barley was harvested first, a few weeks earlier, and probably regularly used as animal feed (1 Kgs 4:28).</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fwoman+harvesting+wheat.jpg" alt="woman harvesting wheat" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Taken in the 1990&rsquo;s at Khirbet el-Maqatir</strong>, ABR&rsquo;s excavation in the West Bank, a local woman has just cut stalks of wheat and is creating a sheaf by wrapping a couple stalks around the rest. Photo by Mike Luddeni.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />In the spring, grain was harvested from the fields by cutting the stalks so they could be bundled into sheaves and carried to the family or community open-air threshing floor nearby. Here grain was separated from the stalks and even the hulls (outer husks of the grain) were crushed to reveal the kernels.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">After threshing, the kernels were gathered by the process of winnowing right there at the threshing floor and collected for storage by the family in their city or village. Completion of the wheat threshing process was the official end of the spring grain harvest and was a time of community celebration.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fthreshing+floor+at+Yad+Hashmonah.jpg" alt="Threshing floor at Yad Hashmonah" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>A reconstructed threshing floor</strong> at Yad Hashmonah, Israel, which served as ABR&rsquo;s Khirbet el-Maqatir dig headquarters for a decade. Located near the grain fields, ancient threshing floors were reasonably flat, smooth, outcroppings of bedrock. Sheaves of grain were brought here to be threshed, winnowed and collected for storage in the community. On the floor the grain was threshed (from an Old English word meaning &ldquo;stomp or tread by foot&rdquo;) and separated from extemporaneous material by winnowing (from an Old English word for &ldquo;wind&rdquo;). Winnowing forks and a threshing sled are seen on the wall surrounding the floor.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />During the period of the Israelite kingdoms, there were large communal subterranean granaries&mdash;such as the eighth century BC Israelite granary at Megiddo. Grain kept here may have represented a communal &ldquo;grain bank&rdquo; for families to best secure their annual harvest in an urban setting. Or it may have simply been taxation in kind, where the grain could be used for government purposes or even sold as necessary.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fgranary+at+Megiddo.jpg" alt="granary at Megiddo" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>The subterranean public granary at Megiddo</strong> dating to the period of the Israelite kingdoms (probably eighth century BC). Circular, about 35 feet in diameter and 23 feet deep, it was stone-lined with two stone staircases leading from ground level to the base. While the granary was probably roofed, to insure grain was safe from rodents and moisture, it was probably stored here in jars. Courtesy http://www.bible-archaeology.info/agriculture.htm.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />But, in the periods of the Settlement, Judges and Monarchy&mdash;before communal granaries&mdash;storage of a family&rsquo;s annual harvest was in the home. Grain was frequently kept in jars sitting on the ground floor of the house, as evidenced by the frequent archaeological discovery of jars containing burned grain.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fJericho+grain+jar+sketching.jpg" alt="Jericho grain jar sketching" width="275" /> <img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fJericho+grain+jar.jpg" alt="Jericho grain jar" width="275" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>One of the most famous jars of burned grain in the Holy Land.</strong> Left, an artist sketches storage jars found <em>in situ</em> by Kathleen Kenyon at Jericho. ABR&rsquo;s Dr. Bryant Wood has noted this is the stratum burned by Joshua and the Israelites as they entered into the Promised Land. The six bushels of grain found in Kenyon&rsquo;s limited excavation area suggests this city was destroyed during the springtime, not long after the harvest&mdash;precisely when the Bible places the event. Photos by Bryant Wood.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />But, regularly during this early period of Israelite history, grain was also stored in smaller subterranean pits (silos) dug into the dirt, regularly lined with stones and generally found associated with individual family homes. I excavated such a silo at Khirbet el-Maqatir, ABR&rsquo;s excavation in Israel&rsquo;s West Bank, during the 2014 dig season. It was part of a domestic complex during the period of the Judges (about 1200&ndash;1000 BC).</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fKEM+storage+silo.jpg" alt="KEM storage silo" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>One of two subterranean stone-lined storage silos</strong> excavated by the author at Khirbet el-Maqatir. Bell-shaped with a flagstone base, it was over four feet deep and over five feet wide in diameter. Dug into the earth, it would have been used for food storage, most likely grain. Photo by Don McNeeley.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Apparently grain was generally stored in bulk within these subterranean silos. While loose grain might seem more vulnerable to damage, the top would have been sealed with a layer of valley clay covered by a layer of stones on the ground surface. The silos probably represented long-term storage &ndash; seed for planting next year&rsquo;s crop. Grain stored in the jars on the house floor was probably short-term storage, used in the near term for sustenance.<br /></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">To Eat or Not to Eat&mdash;That Was the Question</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">This stored grain would then be portioned out for a variety of purposes. Some kernels were roasted or parched on a griddle which tended to preserve them for longer-term storage. Insects were more interested in the raw kernel and moisture getting into the stored grain would have damaged it for planting or grinding into bread.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Yet, heating the kernels killed the germ inside, making it of no value for planting nor useable to grind into bread. Still, it was a strategy to guarantee the grain&rsquo;s nutritional value could be consumed during the next year.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Other kernels were used in the fermentation process with sugars and water to create an ancient form of beer, a different means of longer-term storage. But the largest amount of kernels were kept raw and used for two specific purposes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">One was the raw seed for planting the next year&rsquo;s crop. The other was raw grain for daily food. While there may have been a regular batch of porridge (&ldquo;cream of wheat&rdquo;), the general use went for making their &ldquo;daily bread.&rdquo;<br /></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Flour in the Mill</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Most of us are probably familiar with the image of the small bowl ("mortar") and accompanying slender crushing tool ("pestle"). Something placed inside the mortar would be ground by the pestle using a vertical motion.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fModern+mortar-pestle.jpg" alt="modern mortar-pestle" width="275" /> <img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fancient+mortar-pestle.jpg" alt="ancient mortar-pestle" width="275" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Modern and ancient mortars and pestles.</strong> Courtesy ImportFoods.com; image-base.blogspot.com.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />But &ldquo;milling&rdquo; (Old English for &ldquo;grinding&rdquo;) stones used to grind grain in the Old Testament were quite different tools. Also used in pairs, a larger lower stone (&ldquo;mortar&rdquo;) was stationary on the ground and a smaller upper stone ("pestle") was moved across it in a horizontal motion&mdash;creating the grinding action.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Together, these two stone tools represented a simple domestic hand mill for grinding. In much of the world today, they&rsquo;re known by their Spanish names&mdash;<em>metate</em> (lower grinding stone) and <em>manos</em> (the upper grinding stone). From the Spanish word for &ldquo;hand,&rdquo; <em>manos</em> perfectly describes this tool which was designed to fit human hands for the grinding process.<br /></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Old Testament Saddle Querns</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The Old Testament term for a hand mill, <em>rechayim</em> (translated &ldquo;millstones&rdquo; with a plural ending) represented both the upper and lower grinding stones as a unit. From archaeology and ancient Egyptian depictions, we know this mortar was generally large and stationary on the ground&mdash;frequently called today a &ldquo;saddle quern.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;Saddle&rdquo; because it took that shape, both from its manufacture as well as by its regular use and &ldquo;quern&rdquo; from an old European word describing small domestic hand mills. The biblical term is <em>pelach tachit</em> (&ldquo;section/under&rdquo;) indicating its position as the lower mill stone.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fbasalt+grinding+stones.jpg" alt="basalt grinding stones" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Example of typical basalt upper (pestle/<em>manos</em>) and lower (mortar/<em>metate</em>/quern) grinding stones</strong> as used by Israelites throughout the Old Testament period. Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The pestle/<em>manos</em> was smaller, mobile and used by hand&mdash;really both hands together. All the pestle/<em>manos</em> stones I&rsquo;ve excavated were half-moon in profile with the flat part serving as the grinder. The biblical phrase is <em>pelach rekab</em> (literally &ldquo;section/millstone&rdquo;), probably indicative of its diminutive size.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2flower+grinding+stone.jpg" alt="lower grinding stone" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>A lower grinding stone (quern)</strong> from Tall el-Hammam, Jordan. Found in a heavy burn layer, evidenced on the top, it had been broken into four pieces. Reconstructed with all but the top left corner, its black basalt and measures 14x7x1 inches. Excavated in the site&rsquo;s upper city, this quern comes from a stratum in the Bronze Age&mdash;before the Israelites entered the Promised Land under Joshua. Photo by Gary Byers.</div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br /><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fbroken+upper+grinding+stone.jpg" alt="broken upper grinding stone" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>The underside of a broken upper grinding stone, <em>manos</em> (Spanish &ldquo;hand&rdquo;).</strong>Seeing how well the stone fits a human hand helps appreciate that Spanish name, although a complete <em>manos</em> would have been used with two hands pushing away from the body in top of a lower saddle quern grinding stone. Courtesy Luke Chandler, https://lukechandler.wordpress.com/.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />With the grinding of grain being done at home, it was generally woman&rsquo;s work. In the numerous Egyptian images of women using this Old Testament domestic hand-mill, they&rsquo;re seen kneeling on the ground at the long end of the quern, using the pestle/manos stone with two hands. Probably not a fun task and pretty messy work (note the personal preparations for grinding suggested in Isa 47:2), these Egyptian depictions probably represent servants doing the job (as noted in Ex 11:5). </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center; margin-top:-10px;" src="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2015%2f6%2fEgyptian+woman+grinding+grain.jpg" alt="Egyptian woman grinding grain" width="575" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Small (11x18 inches) limestone statue</strong> found at Gaza, Egypt and dating to 2400 BC, depicting an Egyptian woman grinding grain. Kneeling over a lower quern grinding stone, she&rsquo;s using both hands on an upper grinding stone. Courtesy Harvard University&mdash;Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition.</div>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />This process turned the raw kernels of grain into flour. Admittedly, it wasn&rsquo;t a perfect system and small bits of the grinding stones inevitably wound up in the flour and, eventually, the bread. In fact, today we can get a sense of how important bread was to the diet of different ancient people groups by comparing the impact of those stone bits. The more bread they ate, the more wear showed on their teeth!<br /></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Don&rsquo;t Take It, Don&rsquo;t Throw It!</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">This grinding of grain was so important for daily life in the ancient world that the Mosaic Law noted &ldquo;Do not take a pair of millstones&mdash;not even the upper one&mdash;as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person&rsquo;s livelihood as security&rdquo; (Dt 24:6). Such importance may be reflected in the numerous images of Egyptian women grinding grain&lt;&mdash;it was central to family survival.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">There&rsquo;s also a unique Old Testament reference to a grinding stone being used for another purpose. During the period of the Judges, Abimelech the son of Gideon was an opportunist and bully who murdered his 70 step-brothers and intimidated his way to power.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">During his siege of the Transjordanian city of Thebez, as he was taking the city, &ldquo;a certain woman threw an upper-millstone on Abimelech&rsquo;s head, and crushed his skull&rdquo; (Judges 9:53 NRSV). Mortally wounded, he called for his armor-bearer to stab and kill him&mdash;so it wouldn&rsquo;t be said that mighty Abimelech was killed by a woman!</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Ignite This!</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">In the Holy Land, both of these upper and lower grinding stone tools were typically manufactured from igneous rocks. Derived from the Latin word <em>ignis</em> meaning &ldquo;fire&rdquo; (note the English word &ldquo;ignite&rdquo;), these rocks were formed through the cooling and solidification process of volcanic magma.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Basalt is such a volcanic rock and was the material of choice for grinding stones in the biblical world. But other igneous rocks&mdash;rhyolite and granite&mdash;were also used for grinders in the Old Testament world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Sandstone (sedimentary rock) was another material used for grind stones. It&rsquo;s still regularly used today for grinding and polishing. In 25 seasons of excavation, I&rsquo;ve found upper and lower grinding stones manufactured from each of these materials.</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Our Daily Bread</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Once ground, the flour could be mixed with water and baked into bread. While there aren&rsquo;t specific references saying the ancients baked bread every day, it was probably done multiple times weekly in the biblical world. Presumably flour was ground in conjunction with each baking process.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Throughout the Old Testament period, but especially during the Israelite period (1200&ndash;586 BC) the large number of flint blades, storage vessels and grinding stones indicate the priority of agricultural activity in antiquity. Among remains of the numerous domestic structures throughout the Old Testament period I&rsquo;ve excavated, it&rsquo;s clear the ancients did substantial grain storage and processing in and around their homes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Family cultivation of wheat was virtually universal in ancient Israel and wheat was the grain of choice for their &ldquo;daily bread.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s extremely unlikely a family could have survived without a strategy for cereal grain planting, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, milling and baking of bread. Even a single year&rsquo;s drought or famine could have caused a family to leave their home for survival.<br /></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Man Shall Not Live By&hellip;Give Us This Day&hellip;I Am The&hellip;</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Consequently, we should not be surprised that Jesus used &ldquo;bread&rdquo; as an analogy to communicate key spiritual truths. I&rsquo;m certain those who heard it found meaning in Jesus&rsquo; analogy, &ldquo;Man shall not live by Bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God&rdquo; (Mt 4:4 quoting Dt 8:3). Just as bread was the one thing most people ate every day, Jesus noted they would need God&rsquo;s Word to sustain themselves day after day, as well.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">And since every family baked bread regularly&mdash;multiple times each week&mdash;and ate it every day, they knew exactly what Jesus meant when He taught them to pray, &ldquo;Give us this day our daily bread&rdquo; (Mt 6:11). It&rsquo;s our righteven responsibility&mdash;to ask God each day for our daily sustenance and nourishment, physically and spiritually.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">In fact, I&rsquo;ll suggest the L<span style="font-size: x-small;">ORD</span> obligates Himself to give us what we need&mdash;but not necessarily what we want. So it will tend to be bread, not chocolate cake! But He&rsquo;ll get it to us when we need it&mdash;one day at a time. And His will always be both fresh and nourishing!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">While some did struggle with His words, those who were open and receptive appreciated what Jesus meant when He announced three times in one chapter, &ldquo;I am the Bread of Life&rdquo; (Jn 6:36, 48, 51). Bread being the everyday staple of both the Old Testament Israelites and New Testament Jews, Jesus indicated He was all any of them really needed each day!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Many of us have found that to be true! We need Him daily and He does sustain us through it all. Jesus offered it&mdash;and is able to deliver&mdash;any and all of us can have &ldquo;life to the full&rdquo; (Jn 10:10).<br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><strong>Further Reading</strong><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Borowski, Oded</strong><br />1987 Agriculture in Iron Age Israel; see chapters 5-8. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br /><strong>Byers, Gary A.</strong><br />2013 <em>Home Cooking: Old Testament Israelite Style</em>. http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/13/Home-Cooking-Old-Testament-Style.aspx#Article <br /><br /><strong>Dever, William G.</strong><br />2012 <em>The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel</em>; see chapter 6. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.<br /><br /><strong>King, Philip J. and Stager, Lawrence</strong><br />2001 <em>Life In Biblical Israel</em>; see chapter 3. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.</span></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/From-Wheat-to-Breade280a6But-Man-Shall-Not-Live-by-Bread-Alone!.aspx
Gary Byers MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/From-Wheat-to-Breade280a6But-Man-Shall-Not-Live-by-Bread-Alone!.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=01522917-ded0-4390-93fe-76e0fde8c3afWed, 24 Jun 2015 15:09:00 -0500Conquest of CanaanDevotionalsDivided KingdomExodus from EgyptJudges-United MonarchyGary Byers MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=01522917-ded0-4390-93fe-76e0fde8c3af0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=01522917-ded0-4390-93fe-76e0fde8c3afhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/From-Wheat-to-Breade280a6But-Man-Shall-Not-Live-by-Bread-Alone!.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=01522917-ded0-4390-93fe-76e0fde8c3afWorking Together for the Kingdom: A Message from ABR - UPDATED<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! </strong></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Psalm 96:3</strong></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear ABR Friends,</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today we celebrate the goodness and favor of God for an extraordinary year of discovery and accomplishments in the ministry of Associates for Biblical Research. God has called together an amazing team of archaeologists, researchers, and associates all committed to affirming the authority of the Bible and the historical reliability of the accounts of the people and events in Scripture.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">We are united in proclaiming the truth of the word of God and the saving power of Jesus Christ to a world overwhelmed in deepening spiritual darkness and confusion.</em></strong>&nbsp; </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The testimony we offer is a declaration that God&rsquo;s people, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">working together and under God&rsquo;s leading</em>, can powerfully impact this generation for the cause of Christ. Sadly, secularism and unbridled cynicism marks our post-modern world, and we have all observed the staggering transformation of values and beliefs of the Millennial generation.&nbsp; But the story does not end there. <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">With the support of individual&rsquo;s like you, ABR is powerfully engaged in discussions and debates about truth and the critical role of the Bible in people&rsquo;s lives.</em></strong>&nbsp; We have had a busy year of ministry, and I&rsquo;m thrilled to report on the many exciting developments we have experienced&hellip; a number of which are outlined below!</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir (biblical Ai) is</em></strong></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> now the largest dig in Israel!</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The excavation will see 60 diggers this year! Eleven universities/colleges will be represented at the dig! The dig has been expanded to 3 weeks during the Spring, and a Winter session has been added!</span></em></span></span></p>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In the new National Geographic book, </span></em><span style="line-height: 107%;">Inside the Biblical World<em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">, the editors state that Ai is &ldquo;now identified with Khirbet el-Maqatir&rdquo;.</em></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">After a year at Houston Baptist University, the ABR exhibit, Khirbet el-Maqatir: History of a Biblical Site, came to the Museum Center at Five-Points in Cleveland, Tennessee! The exhibit will be open until December 26, 2015. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dr. Scott Stripling, Henry Smith, and Dr. Bryant Wood presented at the Philadelphia area Bible and Archaeology Conference.&nbsp; ABR saw the largest crowd ever at this important event, where ABR staff made 5 presentations on our research to enthusiastic friends and supporters. </em></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Dr. Bryant Wood was featured extensively in the Secrets of the Bible: The Fall of Jericho on the American Heroes Channel.&nbsp; He was also featured prominently in the new film, Patterns of Evidence: Exodus which was shown in theaters across the country.</em></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">ABR welcomed Dr. Del Tackett at its annual Friends Banquet this year.</em></span></span></li>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your support has been essential to the growth and impact of ABR.&nbsp; And many of you pray for ABR regularly and we covet your prayers in these days of great spiritual conflict!&nbsp; Some of you serve as volunteers, helping us with critical tasks that keep the engine of ABR running.&nbsp; Many support ABR financially with your sacrificial gifts to uphold our ongoing work.&nbsp; We could not do it without you!</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">As we get closer to the end of the fiscal year, we are requesting your help so that we can wrap up the year with all our obligations met.</strong>&nbsp;</a> Although giving has been generally steady throughout the year, and we have been blessed by the response since we first shared this need at the end of May, <strong>as of June 24th we still have a short-fall of approximately $10,000</strong>.&nbsp; A strong push over the next few days should help us close this gap by June 30, the close of the fiscal year.&nbsp; As most of you know, ABR operates on an extraordinarily frugal budget, with most of our staff raising support to serve at ABR, or having secondary means of financial provision. <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">It is your gifts that allow us to discover, to research, write, and present about the reliability of the Bible&hellip;and we thank you for all your help!</a></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am grateful to you for your time in reading this brief overview of our work.&nbsp; And I thank you for your prayerful consideration of our need at this time.&nbsp; Please let me know if you have any questions about the work of ABR and do let me know if there is any way that ABR can serve you or your church as together we pursue a deeper walk with our Lord Jesus.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">For Jesus and His kingdom,</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott Lanser</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Director</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Associates for Biblical Research</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">PS-- Please take a few moments to read this same letter in PDF format, <a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2015%2f5%2fAppeal+Letter+Spring+2015.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>with a full complement of pictures of ABR activities from this past fiscal year.</strong></a> <br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2015%2f5%2fAppeal+Letter+Spring+2015.pdf">Appeal Letter Spring 2015.pdf (801.83 kb)</a></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/Working-Together-for-the-Kingdom-A-Message-from-ABR.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/Working-Together-for-the-Kingdom-A-Message-from-ABR.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=37fbc7e5-5041-41de-95e4-8eb66624bbfdWed, 24 Jun 2015 13:01:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=37fbc7e5-5041-41de-95e4-8eb66624bbfd0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=37fbc7e5-5041-41de-95e4-8eb66624bbfdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2015/06/24/Working-Together-for-the-Kingdom-A-Message-from-ABR.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=37fbc7e5-5041-41de-95e4-8eb66624bbfdThere Wasn't Any Inn<p>Now, Joseph and Mary were both Jews of the tribe of Judah, and their home town was Bethlehem in Judea. Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth in Galilee, so they made preparations to return to Bethlehem. Mary was pregnant, and it was a five or six day journey to cover the 86 miles to Bethlehem, but they calculated they had plenty of time to get there before giving birth.<br /><br />They plodded over the hills, rocks and sand, through the tribal areas of Manasseh and Ephraim, through the towns of Shechem and Shiloh, which was the first Jewish capital. Here they had a mountaintop view of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It was an uphill walk, but since everyone was well adjusted to walking everywhere they went, it was no big problem for a young pregnant girl.<br /><br />When they reached Jerusalem, they had a choice to make. They could stay in Jerusalem. They could walk about five miles west and stay with Mary's cousins, Zechariah and Elizabeth (Lk 1:39), or they could walk on another 5.5 miles to Bethlehem. Mary had stayed with Elizabeth and helped her in her old age for three months (Mt 1:56) while she was pregnant with her son John (who became known as John the Baptist). They each had cousins living in Bethlehem (Lk 2:4). Since it was only another 5.5 miles, they decided to walk on and stay with their cousins in Bethlehem.<br /><br />Being of "the house and lineage of David" (Lk 2:4) meant that they were descendants of the most popular king the country of Israel ever had. No one would have rejected giving a place to stay to a descendant of a popular king, and certainly not to a relative. The culture of that time meant that any descendant of a king &ndash; or even a hometown boy who had been gone a long time &ndash; would be welcomed with open arms. All he had to do was recite his genealogy for about four or five generations, and he was welcome. Joseph and Mary decided to stay with their closer relatives, and so they stayed with them in their hillside home. "There was no room for them in the guest room" (Lk 2:7) (Greek <em>kataluma</em>), but they enjoyed talking and visiting with their cousins. They gossiped and talked about Mary's pregnancy. There was no inn in Bethlehem. According to the culture of that time, their cousins would have been insulted if they had not stayed with them.<br /><br />"And while they were there," Mary started having birth pains and gave birth to her first son. To keep him warm, she "wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger" (Lk 2:6-7). This kept him off the cold floor and kept anyone or any animal from trampling on him. The manger, of course, was in the house and very convenient.<br /><br />Because they laid Jesus in a manger, the Bible translators, thinking of their own culture, assumed he must have been born in a stable and mistranslated the Greek word <em>kataluma</em> &ndash; which means guest room or upper room &ndash; as "inn." The Greek word for a commercial inn is <em>pandokeion</em>. To indicate a commercial inn, Luke uses <em>pandokeion</em> in the story of the Good Samaritan, where the Samaritan took the person who had been robbed and beaten to an inn (Lk 10:30-34). If he would have meant there was no room in a commercial inn "because there was no room for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7), he would have used the word <em>pandokeion</em>. No major road passed through Bethlehem, so there was no need for any commercial inn there. In the Arabic and Syriac versions, they have never translated <em>kataluma</em> as "inn."<br /><br />When Jesus was preparing for his last supper, he told Peter and John to "go and prepare us the Passover that we may eat." And they said to him, "Where should we prepare it?" And he told them, "Go into the city and you will see a man carrying a pitcher of water. Tell him the Master wants to know where he can eat the Passover with his disciples. He will show you a large upper room (<em>kataluma</em>) that is furnished. Make the meal there" (Lk 22:8-12). Here, Luke, the same author, uses the word <em>kataluma</em> to mean upper room. So our translators have mistranslated the Greek word <em>kataluma</em> as meaning a commercial hotel when telling the story of Jesus' birth.<br /><br />When you build a house on a hillside, you must dig the foundation deep enough on the slope that you end up with a room on the ground floor. This is where people would keep their animals. Animals were brought in at night to keep them from being stolen and to keep the house warm. There was no heat in any house &ndash; no stove, no fireplace. The heat rising from the animals was very welcome to the people. Bethlehem &ndash; at 2,500 feet above sea level &ndash; was very cold and damp in the spring and winter. Archaeologists have never found the remains of any heating system in the remains of the houses in Israel. Think how uncomfortable it would be living in the winter in Boone, North Carolina, without a heating system. Even the large castle at Alhambra, Spain, had no heating system other than a brazier in one room.<br /><br />That evening, some shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks. While they were there, an angel appeared to them and scared them. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I have good news for you. Today (not tonight) a child has been born in Bethlehem who is the Messiah. You will find him wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Suddenly there was a host of angels praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and may there be peace to men of good will" (Lk 2:8-14).<br /><br />After the angels left the shepherds said, "Let's go into Bethlehem and see what this is all about." So they left their sheep and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger. And when they had seen the baby, they told everyone what the angels had said and how they had seen the baby who would become the Messiah (Lk 2:15-18), the long-awaited Messiah who would deliver them from high taxes &hellip; who would make them a free nation again. They would be ruled by their own king. This was awesome and exciting and unbelievable!<br /><br />Now, shepherds are usually young boys of ages 10 to 16. They are young, active and better able to crawl over rocks and jump down holes to aid young sheep. Little boys also often tell lies to get attention, and so people don't always believe them &ndash; especially when they tell a story about the long-awaited Messiah being born and lying in a manger. He certainly didn't look like a king, but Mary remembered what the angel had told her when she had first conceived. "Hello, Mary. You are full of grace. The Lord is with you. You are blessed among women. You shall conceive and give birth to a son and shall call his name Jesus" (Lk 1:28-31). She also remembered that an angel had told her husband, Joseph, that "she shall bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). The name Jesus means "Jehovah saves." Mary remembered all these things and pondered them in her heart (Lk 2:19).<br /><br />Now, according to Jewish law, every male had to be circumcised on the eighth day, and so they had him circumcised and named him Jesus, which the angel told her she should name him at the time she had conceived. The law also said she shall wait 32 more days after he was circumcised, and bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. Or if she is poor, she shall bring two doves or two young pigeons &ndash; one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering (Lev 12:4-8). Rather than make the long trip back to Nazareth and then return a few days later, Mary and Joseph stayed on in Bethlehem and proceeded to the temple to make their sacrifice (Lk 2:21-24).<br /><br />As they arrived at the temple, a just and devout man named Simeon observed Joseph and Mary bringing their child to dedicate him to God. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When he saw Jesus, "he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 'Lord now let your servant depart in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared for all people. He shall be a light to the gentiles and bring glory to the people of Israel.' So Joseph and Mary were pleased at these words Simeon said about their baby" (Lk 2:25-33). But then he said, "A sword shall pierce through your soul also" (Lk 2:35), and later, as Mary watched her son dying in pain and anguish on the cross, this prophecy came true.<br /><br />There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the Tribe of Asher. She was a widow and was now about 84 years old. She spent all her time in the temple, fasting and praying night and day. When she saw Jesus she immediately gave thanks to God and spoke of him to everyone that looked for redemption in Jerusalem (Lk 2:36-38).<br /><br />Meanwhile, an unusual star appeared in the east. This was observed by the educated and rich. They were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures which said, "There shall come a star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall arise out of Israel" (Num 24: 17). This was a sign to them that an important king would be born to the Jews (Mt 2:1-2). These wise men were probably Magi or Zoroastrians, so they decided to make a courtesy call on this new king.<br /><br />Their homeland was about 1,000 miles east of Jerusalem by direct flight, but this was barren desert and forbidden by the terrain to cross, they undoubtedly made a more circuitous route of 1,200 to 1,500 miles. This required them to form a large caravan to carry hay for the animals and food for themselves, their servants and their guards. Carrying expensive spices and presents required them to prepare adequately for their safety.<br /><br />Traveling 30 miles per day, it would have taken them about 40 to 50 days or more to make the journey to Jerusalem. Some say they arrived 14 days after his birth on Epiphany. This certainly doesn't seem reasonable. In fact, it is impossible, since camels just don't move that fast. When they paid a social call on King Herod and told him of their quest to worship a newborn king, Herod asked the priests and scribes to tell him where this king would be born. They told him in Bethlehem of Judea (Mt 2: 1-6). Herod had already killed his wife, Mariamne, his mother-in-law and three of his sons (plus many others) because he feared they were trying to usurp him, so he had no desire for another king to arise. He asked the wise men when this star had appeared and then sent them to Bethlehem to search for this child and tell him where he lived. He then planned on killing this new king.<br /><br />Shortly after Mary had dedicated Jesus and made her sacrifice of two doves, the wise men arrived. The wise men inquired where this new king, the Jews' Messiah, was born and they were soon directed to the home of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem. When they entered the house, "they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshipped him. They opened their gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh" (Mt 2: 11). While staying there that night they had a dream that they should not return to Herod, so they departed into their own country by a different route (Mt 2:12). After they left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt and stay there until I bring you word because Herod will seek the young child to kill him." So they left Bethlehem that night (Mt 2:13-14). The shortest and most probable route Joseph and his family took from Bethlehem was down the Elah Valley through the town of Beit Guvrim to either Ashkelon or Gaza. It was downhill all the way, and in the cool of the night they could easily have walked to the Mediterranean coast by morning. Ashkelon and Gaza were not under Herod' s control, so now they were safe. With the money and gifts from the wise men, they now made their way safely into Cairo, Egypt.<br /><br />After a few days, Herod realized the wise men were not going to return and tell him where this new king lived. He became extremely angry, so he decided to kill all the children in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. The wise men told him when they first saw the star, so he decided to kill all the children under two years of age (Mt 2:16). According to their culture, when a child is born, he is already one year old, so he ordered the killing of all children under one year of age, according to our culture. This large time span was to make sure he killed the new king. He didn't need to bother, because he died a few years later and was succeeded by his son Archelaus.<br /><br />After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, "Arise and take the child and his mother and go back to Israel for the people are dead who sought to kill him" (Mt 2:19-21). Since they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own city of Nazareth (Lk 2:39). And they lived and worked there as devout Jews until Jesus was called by God to bring us the Good News.</p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/12/11/There-Wasnt-Any-Inn.aspx
Gordon Mellishhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/12/11/There-Wasnt-Any-Inn.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=df410fe0-7fe7-4c36-93f4-579aba677d25Thu, 11 Dec 2014 21:31:00 -0500DevotionalsNew Testament EraGordon Mellishhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=df410fe0-7fe7-4c36-93f4-579aba677d250https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=df410fe0-7fe7-4c36-93f4-579aba677d25https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/12/11/There-Wasnt-Any-Inn.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=df410fe0-7fe7-4c36-93f4-579aba677d25The Father of Lights<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">&ldquo;Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.&rdquo;&nbsp; -&nbsp; James 1:17</em></strong></span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear Friends of ABR,</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are quickly moving toward that very special time of year when our hearts and minds are drawn to the mystery of the incarnation in that humble town of Bethlehem. After two thousand years we are still captivated at the drama of God breaking into history, Jesus cradled in Mary&rsquo;s womb until the day appointed in the plan of the sovereign God of time and eternity. </span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of all the gifts given to mankind, this was the greatest gift of all.&nbsp; No greater light, no greater wisdom, no greater love could be given&hellip;God had given us His one and only Son.&nbsp; And as the days passed till His ministry began, Jesus grew in wisdom and stature with God and man.&nbsp; Then in obedience to the will of the Father, the Son would offer up His life, to suffer and die so that He could bestow the gift of eternal life upon all those who dared to put their trust in Him.&nbsp; </span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jesus set the example for all of us who call upon His name and who seek to honor Him.&nbsp; Jesus reached out to those who needed Him, and spoke into their hearts.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He often sought to remove the stumbling blocks keeping them from putting their trust in Him:&nbsp; The rich young ruler&rsquo;s money, the Samaritan woman&rsquo;s prejudices, the doubting of Thomas, the distractions of Martha.&nbsp; To receive the Gift that God offers, many people need to have their stumbling blocks confronted and their doubts assuaged.</em></strong>&nbsp; This is what ABR has been tirelessly doing this year and throughout its 45 years of ministry. What stumbling blocks you may ask? Here are just a few striking examples of the lies that this generation has embraced: </span></span></p>
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<p style="color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The original Bible texts are lost, and the ones we have are full of errors. The Bible can&rsquo;t be trusted</span></span></p>
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<p style="color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The people and places the Bible mentions never existed, including the Israelites in Egypt, the conquest of the promised land under Joshua, and the Monarchy under David and Solomon</span></span></p>
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<p style="color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">There was never a Jesus like the Bible describes because there is no historical evidence</span></span></p>
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<p style="color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">There were other lost gospels that tell a new and &ldquo;real&rdquo; story of Jesus</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just as Jesus spoke into the confusion of His generation, we are speaking into ours with His wisdom and power and the knowledge of the truth. We affirm biblical history, the authority of the biblical text, and the life-changing truth of the gospel.</em></strong></span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">More than ever we need your help to continue this important work.&nbsp; As you consider the gifts you will give this Christmas, would you kindly keep ABR in mind?</em></strong>&nbsp; <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">Your year-end gift can help propel ABR into another successful year of ministry and outreach to those who are seeking to know the truth.</a> Thank you for your generosity and for your prayers in support of ABR!</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jesus is God&rsquo;s good and perfect gift, coming down from the Father of lights.&nbsp; Let us celebrate Him and give thanks for God&rsquo;s unspeakable gift.</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Giving all for the King of Kings,</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott Lanser</span></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Director of ABR</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/11/26/The-Father-of-Lights.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/11/26/The-Father-of-Lights.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=4377e057-cff9-4ea6-8634-b74ef273dbe8Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:16:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=4377e057-cff9-4ea6-8634-b74ef273dbe80https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=4377e057-cff9-4ea6-8634-b74ef273dbe8https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/11/26/The-Father-of-Lights.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=4377e057-cff9-4ea6-8634-b74ef273dbe8The Lesson of the Lamp<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path</em> (Psalm 119:105)</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fLamp1.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="384" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>A hand-made ceramic oil lamp from the Holy Land in Old Testament times.</strong> The bowl was filled with olive oil.&nbsp; One end of a flax wick sat in the oil and the other, which hung out over the spout, was lit to provide minimal light in an ancient house. This lamp, dating to the 10th century BC, is the type known to King David and most of the writers of the Psalms.&nbsp; A lamp like this is referred to in Psalm 119:105.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">The longest chapter of the Bible (176 verses), Psalm 119 is also an acrostic poem where every eight verses starts with successive letters of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet. Many Bibles indicate this arrangement by headlining each section with that Hebrew letter (verses 1-8 <em>aleph</em>; verses 9-16 <em>beth</em>; verses 17-24 <em>gimel</em>; 8 verses x 22 letters = 176 verses, etc).<br /><br />David&rsquo;s name is associated with 73 of the 150 Psalms, with 50 being anonymous. Of the remaining 27 Psalms, most of the names are understood to be those of priests and Levites serving in the sanctuary during David&rsquo;s reign.<br /><br />Psalm 119 is one of the anonymous Psalms. So, while it can&rsquo;t be said with certainty, it&rsquo;s reasonable to assume it, too, originated from the circle of those who wrote most of the Psalms within the time of David or, at least, his son Solomon (to whom two Psalms &ndash; 72 and 127- are attributed).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">While the author isn&rsquo;t clear, the focus of this chapter is. Commonly known as the Word of God Psalm, 171 of its 176 verses reference God&rsquo;s Word. Using a variety of terms &ndash; &ldquo;law,&rdquo; &ldquo;statutes,&rdquo; &ldquo;precepts,&rdquo; &ldquo;decrees,&rdquo; &ldquo;commandments,&rdquo; &ldquo;word&rdquo; &ndash; appreciation of God&rsquo;s Law above all else is the priority here.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Lamps in the Old Testament</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The first mention of a lamp in the Old Testament is the one in the Tabernacle. Understood today as a &ldquo;lampstand&rdquo; or &ldquo;candelabra&rdquo; (Hebrew <em>menorah</em>; Ex 25:31), on it sat 7 &ldquo;lamps&rdquo; (Hebrew <em>neroth</em>; Ex 25:37).&nbsp; The lampstand&rsquo;s accompanying wicks (25:38) and olive oil (25:6) are also referenced as part of the Tabernacle&rsquo;s furnishings.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img style="text-align: center;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>The 7-light menorah taken from the Temple in Jerusalem</strong>, as depicted on the ceremonial Arch of Titus, southeast of the Forum along the Via Sacra in Rome. This scene, on the south panel inside the arch depicts items sacked from Jerusalem and the Temple by Roman General Titus in 70 AD.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, most &ldquo;lamp&rdquo; references are to this Tabernacle lampstand and later versions in the Temple. All these lampstands were made of gold and the olive oil was specifically made with a special formula for holy service.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>The 7-light lampstand of the Tabernacle and Temple (left) is commonly called the menorah (&ldquo;lamp&rdquo;).</strong> The 9-light lampstand (right) of the 8-day Hanukkah celebration commemorates the rededication (Hanukkah means &ldquo;dedication&rdquo;) of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees in 165 BC. This annual December celebration is also called the &ldquo;Festival of Lights&rdquo; and the 9 lamps represent the 8 days of miraculous light plus the &ldquo;helper&rdquo; (<em>shamash</em>) used to light the others. To be kosher, the &ldquo;helper&rdquo; light should be offset from the rest.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">But there are other Old Testament mentions of &ldquo;lamps&rdquo; in relation to everyday life. Three are in Job (18:6; 21:17; 29:3) and, if this is the oldest book of the Bible, they would be the earliest reference to household lamps. While the material from which these lamps were made is not mentioned, clay lamps are ubiquitous in archaeological excavations across the Holy Land &ndash; from 2000 BC to New Testament times.<br /><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Lamps in Archaeology</strong></span><br /><br />The earliest lamps known in archaeology were simply handmade ceramic bowls with nothing to distinguish them from others bowls, except carbon soot spots visible on the rim. They would have been filled with olive oil and had a flax wick extending from the oil to the rim. Such lamps date to the Early Bronze Age (third millennium BC).<br /><br />By 2000 BC, potters began creating small protrusions (spouts) on the rim to better control the wicks. While a few are known with 7 spouts, and many with 4, most have only a single wick-spout. All were small enough to fit into a person&rsquo;s open palm.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp4.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>A 4-spouted clay oil lamp from the early 2nd millennium BC.</strong> It was designed to use 4 wicks together. While it seems like a good idea to the author, the concept didn&rsquo;t really catch on and this type of lamp died out after about 200 years.</div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />So, apparently, the ancients decided that the one-wick oil lamp was sufficient for their daily needs. Not designed for use in travel, when the sun went down, people did too! It was just too dangerous to be outside wondering around in the dark. The possibility of running into a wild animal roaming about, or just falling into or tripping over something made it judicious to just stay home at night.<br /><br />Consequently, these lamps were strategically placed in the house to provide optimum light. While they may have sat on the floor or on top of a piece of furniture, excavations frequently reveal niches for lamps on interior walls of ancient houses.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>The Lesson of the Lamp in Psalm 119:105</strong></span><br /><br />Psalm 119:105 is a well-known verse. Like many in this chapter, it&rsquo;s a prayer (addressed to God) and also focuses on the Bible. This verse particularly relates God&rsquo;s Word to a &ldquo;lamp&rdquo; and a &ldquo;light&rdquo; that will guide our steps.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp5.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Four different views of a single one-spout clay oil lamp from the Holy Land.</strong> From the time of King David, variations of this hand-made lamp style were used in the region for over 1,500 years.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">We can all appreciate the metaphor, recognizing that God&rsquo;s Word gives light to our lives. But I want to suggest that archaeology can help us appreciate this little verse even more.<br /><br />While ancient lamps were not designed for travel, they would illumine our way at night. Admittedly one wouldn&rsquo;t be going far, but the average one-wicker lamp would have been sufficient light to carefully move about the family compound.<br /><br />So Psalm 119:105 offers confidence that God&rsquo;s Word would illumine my way like one of those lamps. Not unlike how I&rsquo;ve used my cell phone to get around in the dark, they would have basically provided just enough light to illumine one step at a time.<br /><br />In order to move around carefully, it would have been slow, but one step at a time was sufficient and these lamps worked appropriately well in that setting. I suppose most people in the first millennium BC could appreciate the analogy between this lamp and God&rsquo;s Word. In fact, it was probably hard for them to imagine anything else.<br /><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>The Lesson of the Lamp for the 21st Century</strong></span><br /><br />Of course this is not our world. For most of us, the night is ablaze with light and we can go about our business all night long as if it were daytime.<br /><br />So, as we consider a Psalm 119:105 light or lamp, we might appreciate a searchlight which would expose everything. With nothing left unseen or unknown we would be comfortable to head out in good faith that God is in control! But the lesson of the lamp suggests a lamp which doesn&rsquo;t give much light, at all. Just enough to go one step at a time.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp6.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Three clay oil lamps from the Associates for Biblical Research&rsquo;s excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir.</strong> By the Greek period in the Holy Land (3rd century BC) the hand-made clay bowl-style lamps were folded over on the top, virtually creating two holes &ndash; one for adding the oil and the other for the wick (top left). By New Testament times, these bowl lamps were replaced by mold-made lamps &ndash; with top and bottom made in different molds (top right). The one depicted here was the distinctive Herodian-style with the large hole in the center for adding oil and the spout (slightly broken on the end) for the wick. Mold-made Islamic clay oil lamps (center) carried on the same New Testament tradition, but began taking on a more slipper-like form and added a distinctive high handle at the rear. Note also the geometric designs and the distinctive &ldquo;channel&rdquo; between the central hole and the wick spout.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">And in the 21st century the lamp of choice for many of us would be a laser beam shooting into the darkness for miles. We would want to know what&rsquo;s out there in the distance. Armed with that understanding, we may be comfortable to step out, believing God can handle the details. But the lesson of the lamp is clear &ndash; just one step, one moment at a time.<br /><br />We may want more, we may think we need more &ndash; but one step, one moment at a time is all He promises us&hellip;and, really, all we need!<br /><strong></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>The Lesson of the Lamp and the Serenity Prayer</strong></span><br /><br />Fifteen years ago I took the position of Spiritual Life Director at Helping Up Mission (https://www.helpingupmission.org/), a residential Spiritual Recovery Program for men in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. My role focused on teaching biblical principles of a spiritual walk as the source of empowerment for victory over drugs and alcohol.<br /><br />But I was learning plenty of things, too. One of which was the complete Serenity Prayer. While I already knew the rather famous first section, I had no idea there was more. And, it was the rest of the prayer that really spoke to me.<br /><br />I remember the first time I read the complete Serenity Prayer, my heart said, &ldquo;Yes! That&rsquo;s the guy I really want to be!&rdquo;<br /><br />It centered on two lines, &ldquo;Living One Day at a Time&hellip;Enjoying One Moment at a Time.&rdquo; This whole Prayer described the way I wanted to live and it was the same Lesson I learned from the Lamp.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; God, grant me<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The COURAGE to change the things I can,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And the WISDOM to know the difference;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; LIVING one day at a time;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ENJOYING one moment at a time;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ACCEPTING hardship as a pathway to peace;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; TAKING, as Jesus did, this sinful world, as it is, not as I would have it;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; TRUSTING that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; So that I may be REASONABLY happy in this life and<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; SUPREMELY happy with You forever in the next.&nbsp; Amen.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Adapted from Reinhold Niebuhr<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (see http://www.helpingupmission.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-serenity-prayer.html)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>The Lesson of the Lamp and the Lord&rsquo;s Prayer</strong></span><br /><br />Of course, this also truth goes along with the most famous prayer of all &ndash; the Lord&rsquo;s Prayer or the Our Father. &ldquo;&hellip;Give us this day our daily bread&rdquo; (Mt 6:11) reminds us of the biblical truth that God only promises us one day at a time.<br /><br />But Jesus adds some additional light on the subject in the last verse of the chapter. &ldquo;Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own&rdquo; (Mt 6:34).<br /><br />He only promises one day at a time&hellip;He only asks from us one day at a time. Like the Lesson of the Lamp &ndash; it&rsquo;s always been one step, one moment, one day at a time!<br /><br />So every time another ancient lamp is dug up, it&rsquo;s just another gentle reminder of His wonderful promise. He&rsquo;s got everything under control and all I have to do is keep walking&hellip;one step, one moment, one day at a time!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2014%2f8%2fByers_Lamp7.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<div style="margin-top: -30px; margin-left: 50px; margin-right: 48px; text-align: justify;"><strong>Light over the centuries.</strong> These ancient lamps represent almost 3,000 years of light in the Holy Land.</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/26/The-Lesson-of-the-Lamp.aspx
Gary Byers MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/26/The-Lesson-of-the-Lamp.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=4728e9e8-9c45-4c56-bb5f-d92e6e859418Tue, 26 Aug 2014 17:34:00 -0500DevotionalsGary Byers MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=4728e9e8-9c45-4c56-bb5f-d92e6e8594180https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=4728e9e8-9c45-4c56-bb5f-d92e6e859418https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/26/The-Lesson-of-the-Lamp.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=4728e9e8-9c45-4c56-bb5f-d92e6e859418Increase the Harvest of Your Righteousness<p><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>How grateful we are for the critical role you played in providing resources so that original research, writing, publishing, speaking, and a myriad of other activities could happen.&nbsp;</strong> Those activities translated into the faith of young believers being strengthened, questions from Pastors and students being answered, and the false statements of atheists and revisionists being dismantled and dismissed.&nbsp; The love of Christ constrains us to reason with unbelievers and believers in helping them to grasp the absolute authority of the word of God and the power and grace of Jesus.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />There were many tremendous victories and accomplishments w<a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f6%2fSpr2014+App+let+for+Web.pdf" target="_blank">hich I outlined in great detail in my last, expanded letter to you</a>.&nbsp; I do hope you had an opportunity to read it.&nbsp; We also fell short in a couple of key areas that became clear as the fiscal year concluded.&nbsp; Please allow me to highlight a few of the accomplishments and challenges/concerns: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Although ABR finished the year with a balanced budget, giving for 2013-14 was actually down by 9%.</strong>&nbsp; Contributions were strong throughout the year but in the last quarter we did not see the normal surge of giving we had anticipated.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Merchandise sales of ABR products exploded in 2013-14, with a staggering 65% growth over the previous year!</strong>&nbsp; This, of course, is great news and this additional revenue helped mitigate the effects of our giving shortfall.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ABR received critical resources to allow us to upgrade our outdated administrative and management software, begin our website overhaul and redesign, and to fund important program activities (our dig in Israel and our teaching and conference ministry.)&nbsp; <strong>Unfortunately, with donations falling short, we may have to suspend the needed website upgrades and our staff will not receive much needed cost-of-living increases.</strong> Most ABR staff must work second jobs or raise their own financial support to serve with ABR.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /><em><strong>We need your help</strong></em>.&nbsp; We want to be able to meet the needs of our staff and to continue on a healthy path of growth in 2014-15. <em><strong><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">If you have never sent a donation to ABR, please consider a first-time gift to this ministry.</a></strong> If you&rsquo;re a regular supporter of ABR, <strong><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">please consider how you can help us at this time.</a></strong>&nbsp;</em> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Let us consider the encouragement of the Apostle Paul: &ldquo;He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.&rdquo; (2 Cor. 9:10-11)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /><em><strong>Thank you for the part you will play, under the empowering grace of God, in touching lives through the ministry of ABR!&nbsp; </strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><br />All for Jesus,<br /><br />Scott Lanser <br />Director<br />Associates for Biblical Research </span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/21/Increase-the-Harvest-of-your-Righteousness.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/21/Increase-the-Harvest-of-your-Righteousness.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=50fab26d-6c54-4522-9fbb-fe395ed3eddaThu, 21 Aug 2014 11:38:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=50fab26d-6c54-4522-9fbb-fe395ed3edda0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=50fab26d-6c54-4522-9fbb-fe395ed3eddahttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/08/21/Increase-the-Harvest-of-your-Righteousness.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=50fab26d-6c54-4522-9fbb-fe395ed3eddaClear Away the "Debris": An Appeal from ABR<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">In fact, a second Egyptian scarab has been discovered in May which we believe will add to the mounting evidence for Maqatir being the Ai of Joshua 7 and 8.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">The work we are doing in Israel is part of the original research we believe is essential in <strong>clearing away the lies and intellectual debris</strong> of atheist critics and detractors. Their incessant distortions of the Bible poison the faith of believers in Christ and put stumbling blocks in the way of those seeking the truth.&nbsp; <em><strong>ABR exists to affirm the authority of Bible and to help students of the Scripture to stand firm in their faith. </strong></em></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why Ai? Because critics claim that Joshua never existed, and that the Conquest of the Promised Land was a myth created by later Israelites.&nbsp; With each shovel full of dirt we are uncovering evidence that honest students of biblical history can use to defend their faith and to teach biblical accounts with corroborating evidence.&nbsp; We want to empower all believers in Christ with an arsenal of truth to defend with confidence their faith in Christ and their belief in the inspiration of Scripture.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><strong>The exciting developments in our work have only been possible because of you.</strong></em> ABR thrives, not because of government grants or due to some extraordinary endowment, but solely through the gifts of those who support this ministry. <strong><em>As the 2013-2014 fiscal year draws to a close we are asking that you would consider <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">a generous donation to help us finish strong</a>.</em></strong>&nbsp; The large projects we have been working on this year have included the development of a biblical-archaeological curriculum and a complete overhaul and redesign of our website.&nbsp; These projects are expensive but deserve our attention and support so that the ABR ministry can have an even greater impact upon this generation. </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><strong><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">Please consider how you can help us at this time as our fiscal year ends June 30.</a>&nbsp; Thank you for your love, your prayers, and your support of ABR!</strong></em></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Scott Lanser</strong><br />ABR Director</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">P.S. - <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f6%2fSpr2014+App+let+for+Web.pdf" target="_blank">Please take a few minutes to read over my recent newsletter </a>that outlines many other ABR activities from this past year, as well as opportunities for the coming year! (<a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f6%2fSpr2014+App+let+for+Web.pdf" target="_blank">Read the ABR Spring Newsletter in PDF</a>).</span></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f6%2fSpr2014+App+let+for+Web.pdf" target="_blank">Spr2014 App let for Web.pdf (1.97 mb)</a></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/11/Clear-Away-the-Debris-An-Appeal-from-ABR.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/11/Clear-Away-the-Debris-An-Appeal-from-ABR.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=3478967d-107d-45cd-91e5-f553e99bfb1bWed, 11 Jun 2014 09:09:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=3478967d-107d-45cd-91e5-f553e99bfb1b0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=3478967d-107d-45cd-91e5-f553e99bfb1bhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/11/Clear-Away-the-Debris-An-Appeal-from-ABR.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=3478967d-107d-45cd-91e5-f553e99bfb1bThe Potter<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="337" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/96325442?title=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;color=ff0179" width="600"></iframe></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/04/The-Potter.aspx
Joel Kramerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/04/The-Potter.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=72050887-0fed-4bbd-aa73-e22544dad2dcWed, 04 Jun 2014 09:24:00 -0500DevotionalsVideos/AudioJoel Kramerhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=72050887-0fed-4bbd-aa73-e22544dad2dc0https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=72050887-0fed-4bbd-aa73-e22544dad2dchttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2014/06/04/The-Potter.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=72050887-0fed-4bbd-aa73-e22544dad2dcDr. David Livingston, ABR Founder, At Home With Christ<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our hearts are heavy at the loss of such a giant in the Faith. He will be greatly missed, especially by his beloved wife Esther and his entire family. At the same time, we rejoice that he is free from the body that was afflicted with illness and he is now with his precious Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. And we all look forward to that glorious Day when we will see him once again. </span></span></p>
<p><img style="float: right; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2013%2f12%2fDave+L+7.bmp" alt="" width="240" height="360" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dave and Esther Livingston obediently and faithfully responded to God&rsquo;s call to create the ABR ministry in 1969 and produce a team of scholars who would provide strong, biblically faithful answers to skepticism leveled against the Bible. It all started in the spring of 1966, when David was studying in Jerusalem. He was disturbed when a professor simply accepted that the biblical account of Joshua&rsquo;s capture of the city of Ai and archaeological evidence did not match up. The professor went with the archaeological data, and the Bible was left out.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">At issue for David was the assumed disparity between the biblical text and archaeological evidence. The argument went like this. Archaeological evidence for Ai does not fit the biblical description of the site. Archaeologists have identified the correct site for Ai. Therefore, the Bible is wrong in its description of the ancient city.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a veteran educator and missionary, David understood the far-reaching implications of such thinking. If people really couldn&rsquo;t trust the Bible about the past, how could they honestly trust the Bible for the future&mdash;for eternity! Livingston had no doubt the Bible was accurate in its description of both the battle and the city of Ai, so he made a personal commitment to study the evidence for himself.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Consequently, in 1969, he founded the Associates for Biblical Research. The goal was to create an organization of scholars who believed that the Bible spoke authoritatively on history. Together they would roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, investing the time and resources necessary to do good academic research and solid archaeological excavation&mdash;all for the purpose of connecting the dots between archaeological evidence and the biblical text.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">There were a number of sites from the Exodus and Conquest period of biblical history, beyond the story of Ai, where scholars suggested archaeological evidence and the Bible did not match up. So, over the next forty years, David&rsquo;s research was expanded. ABR sponsored and directed archaeological excavations, surveys and research projects focused on the identification and excavation of the biblical cities of Ai, Bethel, Jericho and Hazor, along with the Exodus route from the Nile Delta through the Sinai Peninsula</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Each time you read about ABR&rsquo;s work, please remember that it has all been made possible because of David and Esther&rsquo;s obedient response to the Lord</strong></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: medium;">.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: medium;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">We owe Dr. David Livingston a debt of gratitude for leading the way and leaving a legacy for today&rsquo;s scholars and students. David combined the mind of the scholar and the heart of a pastor in the ministry of ABR. May those of us who have received the blessing of his life and legacy pass this blessing along to future generations.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feel free to post comments to this article of your memories of David or your appreciation of his lifetime of ministry in defense of the Gospel and the Scriptures.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please remember the Livingston family in your prayers as they grieve and cling to Jesus for comfort and peace.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remembering our Friend and Brother,</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Staff, Board and Volunteers of ABR</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;</span></span></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2013%2f12%2f22-3Final+Low+Rez.pdf" target="_blank"><img style="float: right; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2013%2f12%2f2009-B%26S-Sum-Cover-MD.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Summer 2009 Issue of <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible and Spade</em> was dedicated to David's lifetime of ministry at ABR. You can read the entire issue by clicking on this PDF file link. <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2013%2f12%2f22-3Final+Low+Rez.pdf" target="_blank"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Summer 2009 <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible and Spade.</em></strong></a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: small;">We also encourage visitors to post memories of David's life to our comments section below.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read a personal bio from David's children: <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f1%2fA+bio+by+David's+Children-+David+Palmer+Livingston.pdf" target="_blank">David Palmer Livingston Jr.</a> (PDF)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2013%2f12%2f22-3Final+Low+Rez.pdf" target="_blank">22-3Final Low Rez.pdf (4.51 mb)</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/file.axd?file=2014%2f1%2fA+bio+by+David's+Children-+David+Palmer+Livingston.pdf" target="_blank">A bio by David's Children- David Palmer Livingston.pdf (76.37 kb)</a></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/10/Dr-David-Livingston-ABR-Founder-At-Home-With-Christ.aspx
ABR Staffhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/10/Dr-David-Livingston-ABR-Founder-At-Home-With-Christ.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=d18f2311-c60d-4a0e-8a8f-e59c1bb52ad3Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:39:00 -0500DevotionalsFounder's CornerABR Staffhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=d18f2311-c60d-4a0e-8a8f-e59c1bb52ad36https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=d18f2311-c60d-4a0e-8a8f-e59c1bb52ad3https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/10/Dr-David-Livingston-ABR-Founder-At-Home-With-Christ.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=d18f2311-c60d-4a0e-8a8f-e59c1bb52ad3Advancing the Kingdom: A Look Back at 2013<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dear Friend of ABR,</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I write today to ask you to consider helping ABR at this important time of year.</em></strong> Have you wondered what ABR has been up to the past 12 months? Each quarter I try to provide a snapshot of our current activities and accomplishments but at Christmas I try to summarize these things to paint a true picture of how your support has impacted lives. <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And isn&rsquo;t that what ministry is all about&hellip;changed lives? </em>Huge projects, busyness and activity may or may not be ministry but <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we believe our efforts, under God&rsquo;s sovereign guidance, is producing fruit for Christ&rsquo;s kingdom:</em></strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The ABR Website: </strong>When I began my duties as Director of ABR 7 years ago ABR did not have its own independent website. We wanted to reach many more lives with critical biblical and archaeological research, but our average monthly visitors were only around 4,500.&nbsp; Today, websites and social networking is critical, especially if we want to reach younger generations as well to have a more world-wide outreach<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. &nbsp;<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I&rsquo;m happy to report that with our own website in place we now reach upwards of 60,000 visitors per month.</em></strong><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </em>Every day we are getting communication from atheists, agnostics, believers, doubters, and seekers, dramatically increasing the daily impact of ABR&rsquo;s ministry to the real needs of people! We have targeted a critical overall upgrade of our current website for 2014: Funds needed for the upgrade:&nbsp; $12,000. We are looking for the critical donations needed from the friends of ABR.&nbsp; Is the Lord calling you to help with this need?</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Biblical Educational Tours:</strong> The ABR Biblical Greece Study Tour will take place in just a few months, March 18-29, 2014. <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ABR is committed to helping believers experience the biblical world firsthand and with scholarly expertise.</em></strong> This tour features ABR staff member, Gordon Franz, and ABR Board President, Robert Sullivan. <a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/greece-tour/default.aspx" target="_blank"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There is still time for you to join us</em></strong></a> but the window of opportunity is closing quickly.&nbsp; Call us today if you would like to be a part of this important tour. Details and pricing can be found here on the ABR website.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.maqatir.com" target="_blank">The excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir</a>:</strong> <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ABR concluded its most successful dig season ever in May of 2013 with several extraordinary discoveries and with the strongest evidence ever that the lost city of Ai has been found.</em></strong> Some of the details cannot be shared at this time but ABR has planned a press-release in 2014 to share these exciting discoveries.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Khirbet el-Maqatir Exhibit at the Dunham Bible Museum</strong> at Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/11/22/Joshuas-Ai-Exhibit-At-Houston-Baptist-University.aspx" target="_blank">Major announcements</a> are just around the corner for this new, exciting exhibit concerning our ongoing excavation in Israel!</em></strong><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Your prayers and financial support have been instrumental in helping ABR show to the world that the historical events of Israel&rsquo;s conquest of the Promised Land are true and that Scripture can be trusted.</em></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Noah&rsquo;s Ark Symposium</strong> at the Institute of Social Sciences at Sirnak University in Sirnak, Turkey: ABR Staff member Gordon Franz was a featured presenter at this important conference concerning the search for Noah&rsquo;s Ark. Also presenting was Rex Geissler, former member of the ABR Board.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">&middot;<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The ABR Curriculum Project:</strong>&nbsp; The development of a cutting-edge biblical archaeology curriculum has been a dream and long-term strategic objective of ABR.&nbsp; We are pleased to say that in 2013 we forged ahead with the help of gifted volunteers and our on-site videographer to begin this auspicious project<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.&nbsp; It will be years in the making, but your gifts and support have helped us begin moving forward.</em></strong>&nbsp; Strong financial support will be needed over the next 3 years as we seek to produce our first two segments of the curriculum series.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are so many more developments I would love to tell you about but space will not allow me to go into detail. Please keep an eye on the ABR website and in the <a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/publications/abrnewsletter.aspx" target="_blank">ABR Newsletter</a> for exciting new developments in the months ahead, and I will be sending new updates very soon.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All of these activities have been made possible because of you. </em></strong>Your prayers and generous financial support are the reason ABR has been growing and moving and having such a powerful impact upon the Body of Christ and those who are seeking the truth. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">At this Christmas season, please consider sending your most generous year-end gift to help us continue the work the Lord has called us to do.</a> </em></span><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ABR will send you a free gift for donations of $50 or more made online in the US (see below). </em></strong>Help us make 2014 a year of profound breakthroughs in defense of the word of God in presenting the gospel to a spiritually lost and dying world.&nbsp; <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Your partnership with ABR will help change lives!</em></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">On behalf of the ABR Board and Staff, we wish you a very merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Celebrating our new born King,</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Scott Lanser</strong></span></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">Director: Associates for Biblical Research</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">For Donations of $50 or more made online in the US through December 31, 2013</a>, you will receive one of the following gifts:</span></span></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2013%2f12%2fRound+Table+DVD+MD.jpg" alt="" width="130" height="175" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. For a donation of $50 or more, receive the free 2 DVD set with the ABR staff, <em>Is It Time To Throw Away Your Bible? </em>This exciting new DVD set features fascinating round-table discussions on critical biblical and archaeological issues with the ABR staff. In this 11 part, 2 DVD set, hear the ABR staff talk about these important issues and why you can trust the Bible. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">Type: "FREE ROUNDTABLE 2 DVD SET" in the Special Instructions Box when you make your donation here online</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=2013%2f12%2fChild+Sacrifice+DVD+MD.jpg" alt="" width="130" height="175" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. For a donation of $150 or more, receive FOUR DVDs for FREE, featuring the ABR Staff: 1. <em>Is It Time to Throw Away Your Bible?</em> 2 DVD set. 2. <em>Victory At Ai: Archaeology and Joshua 7-8</em> DVD with Dr. Bryant Wood. 3.<em> Canaanite Child Sacrifice</em>: A Powerful DVD presentation. <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">Type: "FOUR FREE DVDs" in the Special Instructions Box when you make your donation here online.</a><br /></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/04/Advancing-the-Kingdom-A-Look-Back-at-2013.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/04/Advancing-the-Kingdom-A-Look-Back-at-2013.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=e0beecf1-fbb5-41d4-9021-305ca76ccfd6Wed, 04 Dec 2013 10:15:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=e0beecf1-fbb5-41d4-9021-305ca76ccfd60https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=e0beecf1-fbb5-41d4-9021-305ca76ccfd6https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/12/04/Advancing-the-Kingdom-A-Look-Back-at-2013.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=e0beecf1-fbb5-41d4-9021-305ca76ccfd6Loving People, Loving Truth: Jesus Speaks to His Church<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the first century Church we see apostles, evangelists, apostolic representatives, pastors, and teachers. There are individuals with the gifts of leadership, teaching gifts, and prophetic gifts.&nbsp; When Paul provides directives for Timothy on his appointed role at Ephesus, he urges him to &ldquo;do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rightly handling the word of truth</em>&rdquo; (2 Timothy 2:15). &ldquo;Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.</em> God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will&rdquo; (2 Timothy 2:23-26).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fact-checking is now all the rage, but it was also at work in the early Church. Luke tells us in Acts 17:11 that the Jews at Berea &ldquo;<span class="text">were more noble (&epsilon;</span><span class="text">ὐ</span><span class="text">&gamma;&epsilon;&nu;έ&sigma;&tau;&epsilon;&rho;&omicron;&iota;) than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so</em>.&rdquo; Jewish legalism, proto-gnosticism, and various strands of Greek philosophy were all vying for acceptance, not just outside the Church, but <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inside</em></strong> the Church as well. We consistently read of the efforts of Jewish converts to pull the Church into legalism, not just in Jerusalem, but throughout Asia Minor, as there were converts to Christ in many Greek cities with populations of Jews and established synagogues. Paul battled these heresies incessantly throughout his ministry. (Paul&rsquo;s Epistle to the Galatians and Acts 15 are basic background reading.)&nbsp; </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">All believers are called to doctrinal purity and to be involved in the process of careful scrutiny of biblical teaching to be sure such teaching is truthful, faithful, and accurate. Since God never lies, we must be sure that we speak &ldquo;as one who speaks oracles of God&rdquo; (1 Peter 4:11a). God demands truthful speech from <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every</em></strong> believer, and He holds those acting in the role of teacher to a more stringent standard.&nbsp; </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">This should cause all who are currently teaching in the Church, biblical educational ministries, and colleges and seminaries to examine themselves to be sure they are fit for such a task. False and heretical teaching is an ever-present enemy of the Church and must be battled in every generation. Since the onset of the Enlightenment the Bible has been in the crosshairs, and increasing and unrelenting attacks on the doctrine of Scripture have been the norm. Human Reason, raised up against the Revelation of God, will never cease to give up its efforts to proclaim itself sovereign over ultimate truth. Needless to say, with the Bible itself under attack, we should not be surprised that heresies of all sorts have sprung up in the past 300 years among professing believers and authored by the Church&rsquo;s own teachers!&nbsp; </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">The focus on doctrinal purity is expressed clearly by Jesus in Revelation 2:1-7 as He conveys through John words of commendation and correction to the church at Ephesus.&nbsp; Here, the Ephesians are highly commended for their stand in rooting out false apostles and false teachers:&nbsp; </span><span class="verse">"'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you cannot bear with those who are evil</em>, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false</em></span><span class="text"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">&ldquo; </em><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(v.2)</span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. &ldquo;</em></span><span class="verse">Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate&rdquo;</span><span class="text"> (</span><span class="text">ἃ</span><span class="text"> &kappa;</span><span class="text">ἀ</span><span class="text">&gamma;</span><span class="text">ὼ</span><span class="text"> &mu;&iota;&sigma;</span><span class="text">ῶ</span><span class="verse">) </span><span class="text">(<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">v.6</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)</span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Jesus&rsquo; hatred of false doctrine, clearly expressed here, is backed by His powerful confrontation of the false teaching of the Pharisees and scribes, groups he regularly tangled with during His earthly ministry. </em>(See Mark 7:1-23, Matthew 23:1-36.) This word to the Ephesians in Revelation reminds us of Paul&rsquo;s warning to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 where he states, &ldquo;Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.</span> <span class="text"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;</em></span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span class="text">and <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">from among your own selves</strong> <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">will arise men speaking twisted things</strong>, to draw away the disciples after them.&rdquo; </span></em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">Such attention to false teaching, however, can often cause unintended secondary consequences. Sometimes we forget that as Jesus commended the Ephesians here for such devotion to doctrinal purity, he also saw such a serious consequence that it threatened the very viability of the fellowship as true light-bearers of the Gospel and of the testimony of Jesus in their day.&nbsp; What was this consequence?</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name&rsquo;s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent&rdquo; (v. 3-5).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">How could a church, so steadfast to uphold the truth of the Gospel and the revealed word of God, be guilty of losing their first love? It is important to not just think of this body of believers as a corporate entity, but as made up of individuals just like you and me. Those who were advocating for the truth were drifting from Christ, and in so doing departing from fulfilling the royal law of love for their brothers and sisters. How often have I seen committed Christians, hungry to defend God&rsquo;s truth, devolve into angry and rude behavior, and a sickly intolerance. And sadly, Christian scholars can be among the worst transgressors. Sometimes it&rsquo;s just arrogance, where knowledge puffs up, instead of allowing love to edify.&nbsp; Sometimes we just allow the standards of the caustic, cynical world to possess our minds and our communication so that even when we try to tell the truth, it comes across with venom, sarcasm, and smugness. We call people names&hellip;they&rsquo;re &ldquo;crackpots,&rdquo; &ldquo;nuts,&rdquo; and even worse, &ldquo;unenlightened.&rdquo; No, we have drifted away from &ldquo;speaking the truth in love,&rdquo; &ldquo;patiently enduring evil,&rdquo; and &ldquo;correcting opponents with gentleness,&rdquo; to a form of communication that fails our Savior and is a mockery of the love we profess.&nbsp; This can be a serious sign that we may have indeed lost our first love.&nbsp; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">In case anyone is confused here, we must grasp with clarity what Jesus is saying to the Ephesians in Revelation 2:&nbsp; Hate false teaching, and be passionate about the truth.&nbsp; But be wary of falling into the ways of the world. Remember that we are part of a body of believers that needs to constantly bring correction one to another.&nbsp; We have a responsibility to speak with respect, patience and grace, whether it is to believers or unbelievers. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">George Eldon Ladd helpfully comments on this passage: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 18pt; padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Their patient endurance and bearing up for the name of Christ suggest that the problem of false teachers faced by the Ephesian Christians was no temporary crisis but one that exerted a severe test of their steadfast adherence to the gospel.&nbsp; Here was a church outstanding for her doctrinal purity&hellip;Although their struggle with false teachers had made no inroads in the sound doctrine of the Ephesian Christians, it had serious effects on some aspects of their Christian conduct; it had led them to abandon <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the love</strong> they <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">had at first</strong>. Here was a failure which undermined the very foundation of the Christian life. The Lord had taught that mutual love was to be the hallmark of Christian fellowship (John 13:35). The Ephesian converts had known such a love in their early years; <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but their struggle with false teachers and their hatred of heretical teaching had apparently engendered hard feelings and harsh attitudes toward one another to such an extent that it amounted to a forsaking of the supreme Christian virtue of love. <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Doctrinal purity and loyalty can never be a substitute for love.</strong></em><sup> 1</sup></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are all called to watch our &ldquo;life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers&rdquo; (1 Timothy 4:6 NIV). At no time is our calling to correct an erring brother or sister to be an excuse for the flesh to rise with its ugly, unloving behavior and insulting words.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">My dear Christian brother or sister, pastor, or scholar: do you remember the words of Paul to the Corinthians? &ldquo;&hellip;think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.&rdquo; Do you think you know something? If you do, who allowed your eyes to see and your mind to understand? If it wasn&rsquo;t for the grace of Christ to save us and for the Spirit of truth to be our Teacher, we would be lost in total spiritual darkness. So we must put on Christ, and as we share the knowledge that the Lord has given us, in humility, we will build up the body of Christ, correct the erring, and inform those hungering for truth. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can we ever win the world to Christ by winning an argument? No, but we will win some of the world when they see the love we have for one another! We are called to advocate for the truth and to defend it, but never with the weapons of the flesh. Let us lovingly share the grace and the knowledge the Lord has given us with the sincere intent to build up the body of Christ and to help those outsiders who are asking questions about our faith. Do you know something about anything? What is the source of authority behind the knowledge you have? The written revelation of God is the sure foundation of knowledge, a revelation always affirmed by the Spirit in our hearts. Is science your ultimate source of knowledge? Are personal experiences? Are you depending on some teacher or book, or some other source of &ldquo;authority&rdquo;? Let us remember the words of David in Psalm 119:99: &ldquo;I have more understanding than all my teachers, <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">your testimonies</strong> are my meditation</em>.&rdquo; May we all stand upon the word of the Lord and hold all other knowledge lightly and humbly. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">A fitting conclusion would be to reflect on comments gleaned from the third chapter of Paul&rsquo;s Epistle to the Colossians: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">&ldquo;If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth</em>. <sup>&nbsp;</sup>For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. <sup>&nbsp;</sup>When Christ who is your<sup> </sup>life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.<sup>&nbsp;</sup><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Put to death therefore what is earthly in you</em><strong><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">...</em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,</span> <span class="text">bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.</span> <span class="text"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony&hellip;</em></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text">Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom&hellip;&rdquo;</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ladd, George Eldon</strong></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1972 <em>A Commentary on the Revelation of John</em>. Eerdmans. 39.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">All Scripture quotations are from the Evangelical Study Bible except where indicated.&nbsp; </span></p>
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</div>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/10/28/Loving-People-Loving-Truth-Jesus-Speaks-to-His-Church.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/10/28/Loving-People-Loving-Truth-Jesus-Speaks-to-His-Church.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=cbda820b-8b92-4ea6-8af3-843101d6a8c3Mon, 28 Oct 2013 10:42:00 -0500DevotionalsNew Testament EraScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=cbda820b-8b92-4ea6-8af3-843101d6a8c31https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=cbda820b-8b92-4ea6-8af3-843101d6a8c3https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/10/28/Loving-People-Loving-Truth-Jesus-Speaks-to-His-Church.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=cbda820b-8b92-4ea6-8af3-843101d6a8c3The Precious Time Redeem<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">The testing of our nation raised our awareness of how evil can indeed touch our lives, and if we are vigilant, will help us be awake and aware of future threats before us in this violent, sin-sick world.&nbsp; Clearly, testing touches the lot of every generation&hellip;my grandfather in WWI, my father in WWII&hellip; and in this generation as well.&nbsp; Praise God for all the brave men and women who have served to fight for our freedoms and to defend and protect our right to live in liberty.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Courage and vigilance are needed in every generation&hellip;not just in our national interests, but in especially in the hearts of those of name Christ as Savior and Lord.</em></strong>&nbsp; I was reminded where my priorities need to be&nbsp;found in listening to a wonderful hymn by&nbsp;Charles Wesley.&nbsp; He wrote, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I would the precious time redeem,</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; line-height: 18pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And longer live for this alone,</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To spend and to be spent for them</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who have not yet my Savior known;</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fully on these my mission prove,</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And only breathe, to breathe Thy love.</em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our calling is to Christ alone, and to actively, courageously proclaim the gospel to a dying world.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In my work here at ABR I have been reminded powerfully by God&rsquo;s Spirit that though the biblical, theological, and historical issues for which we contend are <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">critically</em> important, we must not forget our ultimate calling to proclaim Christ.</strong>&nbsp; How easy it is to become swallowed up the minutiae of debate and discussion&hellip; even surrounding important and sometime essential biblical issues! I never want to lose my passion for the lost and their need of the saving gospel.&nbsp; Wesley said it best, </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim, </em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And publish abroad his wonderful name; </em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The name all-victorious of Jesus extol, </em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">His kingdom is glorious and rules over all. </em></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amen.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank">Would you assist ABR in our calling to proclaim the gospel and to defend the faith?</a>&nbsp; As you weigh your giving priorities in these challenging times, please consider a generous gift to support this ministry.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coming out of the summer months our support has dropped 20% from last year at this time.</em></strong>&nbsp; I am very concerned that a number of our strategic projects will be curtailed unless we see a strong response (I outlined many of these projects in my last letter, <a href="http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/06/07/Looking-Back-and-Pressing-Forward.aspx" target="_blank">which can be found here on our website</a>)&nbsp; I will be grateful for your commitment to pray for us and to help us financially as we enter the Fall.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></em></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;">&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Remember, archaeology is one of the most powerful weapons in our apologetics arsenal, and ABR is strategically positioned to articulate its value to those hungry for truth; if used well it often opens up the minds of those locked into the assumptions of naturalism and humanism.</em></strong>&nbsp; It peels away the lies of historical revisionists and exposes them to the reality that the Bible is true, and the God of the Bible is the One that they ignore to their eternal peril.&nbsp; </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thank you for your continuing support</strong> as we take the message of Jesus&rsquo; saving work into the firestorm of lies and deceit in this culture.&nbsp; <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thank you for praying for us</strong> for victory as we serve the King of Kings.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Scott Lanser</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">ABR Director</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; line-height: 18pt; text-indent: 0.5in; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: 18pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>If you would like to make a donation to support the ongoing work of the ABR ministry, </strong><a href="https://www.biblearchaeology.org/support/supportform.aspx?action=donate" target="_blank"><strong>please visit our Donation Page</strong></a><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span></p>https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/09/13/The-Precious-Time-Redeem.aspx
Scott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/09/13/The-Precious-Time-Redeem.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=1025ded9-ffb3-42ad-a303-195eedeaea56Fri, 13 Sep 2013 07:33:00 -0500DevotionalsScott Lanser MAhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/pingback.axdhttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/post.aspx?id=1025ded9-ffb3-42ad-a303-195eedeaea560https://www.biblearchaeology.org/trackback.axd?id=1025ded9-ffb3-42ad-a303-195eedeaea56https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2013/09/13/The-Precious-Time-Redeem.aspx#commenthttps://www.biblearchaeology.org/syndication.axd?post=1025ded9-ffb3-42ad-a303-195eedeaea56